Forrest Lee Durham

Forrest Lee Durham: Forrest passed away Friday afternoon at the Oskaloosa Care Center at 86 years, 2 months and 25 days of age. Forrest's family includes his wife, Ellen Durham of Oskaloosa; his daughter and son-in-law, Lee Ann and Fred Rice of Ottumwa; three grandsons: Brenton (Katrina) Rice of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Caleb and Heath Rice of Ottumwa and his sisters and brother-in-law, Eileen and James Pincomb of Colorado Springs, CO and Kathleen Dusenberry of Oskaloosa. Rev. Forrest Lee ""Woody"" Durham, son of Albert LeRoy and Sarah Ann Boothe Durham, was born June 9, 1923 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He was a 1942 graduate of Oskaloosa High School. He was inducted into the U.S. Army, September 24, 1943, and served until April 4, 1946. He was discharged as Technician Fifth Grade with the 1340th Service Command Unit. After returning home from the military he began working at Wenric Shoes. He married Ellen Mae Sherman September 7, 1947 at the Central United Methodist Church in Oskaloosa. Forrest went on to work for Allied Gas, and then for 15 years as a field representative for Gambles Department Stores. In 1974, Forrest's faith led him to enter ministerial training for the United Methodist Ottumwa District. His training provided him with a Local Pastor's License in 1978; this enabled him to serve several different churches in the southeast Iowa area (Attica, Pershing, Numa, Jerome, Kirkville, Centerville, Unionville, Hamilton, Bussey, Harvey, Tracy, and Moulton) and substituting at the Beacon United Methodist Church until his retirement in 2006. Some of Forrest's best memories from his years in the ministry were from the time he reenacted a Circuit Riding Preacher. He rode his horse from town to town over the course of a week, preaching in the towns and staying with local families. Forrest was a member of the Central United Methodist Church and the American Legion. He enjoyed bowling, horses, woodworking, gardening and golf, his favorite pastime was spending time with his grandchildren. Forrest was preceded in death by his parents; five brothers: Marion, Lowell, Melvin, Marvin and Herman Durham and four sisters: Alma Binns, Cora Ellis, Stella Durham and Ethelyen Graham. PDF Printable Version

Forrest Lee Durham

June 9, 1923 - September 4, 2009